Hot-water-storage apparatus for steam plants



- Sept. 22, 1925.- 1,554,665

' J. E. TANNENBAUM HOT WATER STORAGE APPARATUS FOR STEAM PLANTS FiledNov. 22, 19g3- I nvennof'z Johann Eduard. Tamne'nbagrna His Abner-nes-Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

r taste-es UNITED srArEs PATENT, QFFICE.

JOHANN EDUAIRD TANNIE-NBAUM, GE EX/ILMERSDOBF-FRIEDENAU, GERMANY, AS-SIGNOR T GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HOT-WATER-STORAGE APPARATUS FOR :BTEAM PLANTS.

Application filed November 22,1923. Serial No. 676,448.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, .loiiANN llDUAl-il) TANNENBAUM, a citizen of theRepublic of, Switzerland, residing at Viilmersdort Friedenau, Gern'iany,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hotimiter-StorageApparatus for Steam Plants, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates to hot water storage apparatus and moreparticularly to hot water storage apparatus adapted to steam powerstation installations in which heated vapor chambers are provided with awater cooling means.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved means inconjunction with a cooling apparatus for a heated vapor space forautomaticallyextracting hot water from said apparatus and supplying thesame automatically to a storage tank at a certain uniform predeterminedtemperature.

For a consideration of what is believed to be novel and the invention,attention is directed to the accompanying drawing, description thereofand the appended claims.

In the drawing, a portion of a power plant installation provided with anarrangement in accordance with the invention for obtaining and storinghot water is diagrammatically represented.

Referring to the drawing. 1 is a steam turbine supplied with steamthrough an inlet 2 and exhausting through a conduit 3 into a surfacecondenser 4. The turbine is shown connected to an electric generator 5.The turbine, generator and condenser may be taken as representing theusual power plant prime mover installation.

The surface condenser 4 is supplied with cooling water from a cold watersource indicated at 6, such as a well, being connected therewith by aconduit line 7 in which is located a suitable circulating pump 8. Astrainer 9 is fitted over the intake end of this conduit line to excludeforeign matter which would damage the pump and condenser. The pumpvdraws cooling water from the supply source 6 and forces it through thecondenser in the usual system of parallel cooling water tubes indicatedat 10, to condense the steam delivered from the turbine to a vacuumchamber 11 which surrounds said cooling water tubes. A valve is islandin c n u t l es 7 between t trolled by thefloatQO.

pump and the condenserfor throttling the cooling water supply whendesired.

The cooling water passes from the condenser through a discharge conduit13 to a free outlet 1% from which it may flow to any suitable drain. Thecondenser installation may be-considered as any available heated vaporspace through which a cooling liquid is passed in a conduit line forcooling purposes. At 15 is a storage tank for hot water which is to beused in other operations of theplant, thesupply for said operationsbeing taken from the bottom of the tank through a conduit 16 connectedtherewith. A cover 17 for the tank is provided to reduce heat losses byevapo'ation and in certain cases the tank may be lagged with heatinsulation to reduce radiation losses.

The storage tank is supplied with warm water, in the present example,from the cooling water outlet of the condenser, through a conduit 18which is joined by a T-connection 19 with the discharge conduit 13. Thisconduit'leads into the top of tank 15, passing through the cover 17, anddischarges above the water level. The water level is preferably kepthigh and within limits which will insure a constant supply to outletconduit 16, and is here shown as midway between-such limits with thetank approximately half full.

For automatically maintaining the water level between the desired limitsa float 20 is provided within the tank to follow the variations in waterlevel and is shown by way of example as electrically controlling theopening and closing of a valve 21 located in a casing 22 inserted in thedischarge conduit 13 between the T-connection 19 and the cooling wateroutlet 14. The valve 21 is shown as a sliding gate valve but may be ofany type which may be con The closing of valve 21 stops the normaloutflow from the condenser, and the cooling water then finds an outletby way of conduit l8 tothe storage tank. However, it is prevented fromflowing to the tank until its temperaturehas reached a certain predetermined higher value by means which will hereinafter he described,

The operating means between float =20 and the valve .21 [compress areversible motor 23 mounted adjacent valve 21, a gearing 24 connectedwith th motor and a valve stem 25 threadedthrough the axis of one or thegearing members. The arrangement is such that rotation of said member bythe motorvalve and switch 27 is in the circuit through which the motorreceives'current in closing the valve. ln the drawing valve 21 is shownin the normal open position at the limit of its travel with arm 28holding switch 26 open.

The motor receives current from mains indicated at 29 through aconnecting cable 30 and a reversing switch 31. This switch controls theoperation and direction of rotation of the motor and is located adjacenttank 15.

' An operating lever 32, with which the switch is provided, may be moveddownwardl'y. as shown in the drawing, to operate the motorin a directionto'open theva'l've 21 or upwardly to operate the motor and close thevalve 21. By means of a cord 33passed over idler pulleys 34'-34- andconnected with the float and an adjustable balancing weight 35, movementof the float efie'ct's the operation of the switch automatically. Thecord 33- passes through a ring at the end" of lever 32 and a pair ofstop lugs'36' and 37' are secured to the cord above and below this'ringat distances from it to allow any desired variation in movementjof thefloat before'the switch is actuated by thestop' lugs as" the float movesin following the water level in the tank.

In conduit 18, which connects cooling Water discharge conduit '13'withthe tank 1.5, is a valve casing 38 in which is located a sliding gate:valve 39. This valve is normally closed as shown and" is provided with asliding valve" stem'40 by which it isoperated. A piston 41 carried at'theout'er end of valve stem and fitted within a cylinid'e'r' 42 ispressed on one side by a compressed spring 43"tomove the valve to-theclosed position and on the other side'by the pressluej of'a liquid'44"to move the valve to the open position. Normally, the spring eX-ert's'the greater pressure andmaintains the valvein the closed position.It is adjusted tofyi'eldfat a certain point as increased pressure isapplied tothe" liquid; permitting the valve to gradually open. The valveshownv is to be taken-as representing any suitable valve capable ofbeing operated by a sliding valve stem.

The pressure applied to the liquid 44 and to the piston 41 is thatexisting in the vapor space 11 of the condenser 4. A cylinder 45 isarranged vertically on the condenser to open atone end into the vaporspace 11. Th opposite end of cylinder 45 is closed and connected by apressure conduit 46 with the liquid in cylinder 42. movable abutment 47within the cylinder 45 serves as a movable dividing wall between thevapor space 11 and the liquid from cylinder 41 which'fills pressureconduit 46 and the cylinder 45 above said abutment. A compressed sprin43 in the upper endot cylinder 4 5 is a justed toexert sufficientpressure on the movable abutment 47 to cause the same to return to itslower or normal position as shown when the pressure exerted onit fromthe vapor space 11' is normal. A sufficient quantityof the liquid 44,which may be oil, or water, is supplied to the system to completely fillthe cylinder spaces provided for it and the conduit 46 when the piston41 and abutn'i'ent 47 are in their normal positions as shown. I

The operation of the system is as follows: With turbine 1 andpump 8 inoperation, mains 29 energized, and valves 21 and 39 in their normalpositions as shown, as water isidrawn from tank 15 through outletconduit 16 the water level falls until stop lug" 37 strikes the ring onthe end of switch lever 32 and carries saidlswitch lev r to the upwardlyclosed position.

I Motor 23 then operates and closes valve 21', cutting off the coolingwater outlet 14. As valve 39 is also closed there is no out letfor thecooling water from the condenser. Pump 8' continues to operate so thatthe cooling water in the condenser is trapped and becomes heated abovenormal. As the trapped cooling water becomes heated to a higher degreethe pressure in the vapor space increases because the'cooling' waterdoes not then condense all of the steam supplied from the turbineexhaust 3. This increased pressure is applied" to the movable'abu'trnent 47. and througlrth'e medium of the liquid 44. is transmittedto piston 41. Spring 43 finally yields at a predetermined point asthepressure increases and permits valve 39 to open sufficiently to allowthe heated cooling water to flow through T- co'nnect'ion 1 9 and conduit18 into the tank 1 5. I The valve opens gradually and only as thepressure increases. The temperature of the coo-ling water permitted topass tothe tan'k'i is controlled by" the strength of spring 43 as itdoes not yield allow valve 39 to open until a" certain pressureis'exerted" on thedppositeside of the piston 41 and as this pressure issupplied from the vapor space 11 in which a pressure determined by thetemperature of the cooling water exists, it is seen that the watersupplied to tank 15 by this arrangement will have a certainpredetermined constant temperature. That is, as the trapped coolingwater is unable to condense the steam, the pressure in the condenserincreases as the cooling water increases in temperature. Valve 39 opensto pass the heated water to the storage tank 15 only when a certainpredetermined pressure is reached in the condenser and as the coolingwater must reach a certain corresponding temperature before thispressure can exist, a definite setting for the opening of valve 39, byemploying a spring of the proper strength at 43, also definitelydetermines the temperature of the water supplied to the storage tank 15.The initial temperature of the cooling water and the load on the turbinehave only the effect of changing the rate at which the tankis filled andnot any effect on the temperature of the water delivered thereto.

As the tank is filled, the float 2O follows the water level and stop lug36 finally comes into contact with the ring end of lever 32, carryingsaid lever to the downwardly closed position. Motor 23 operates to openvalve 21. The cooling water then flows through the condenser at thenormal rate to the outlet 14 and the pressure quickly decreases in thevapor space 11 with the result that valve 39 closes and the plantopcrates normally until the supply of hot Water in tank 15 falls to thelower limit again when the operations just described automaticallyrepeat.

In the present apparatus for obtaining hot water in accordance with theinvention, the water flow from the condenser is entire-1y interrupted orstopped and connection established with the water storage tank only whenthe pressure in the condenser has increased to a value corresponding tothe desired water temperature, such temperature being usually set tocause the least possible change in the temperature of thewater alreadyin the tank.

Th arrangement in any case is, in accordance with the invention, suchthat a storage tank or other receptacle for hot water will be refilledautomatically, when emptied toa predetermined level, with hot water of acertain predetermined temperature, independently of the initial watertemperature or of the amount of heat available.

. It may be applied to existing steam plant in the power output from theprime mover exhausting into said condenser. It is this that limits thetemperature at which the hot water may be supplied to a storage tank.

It may be applied to other installations having available a heated-vaporspace through which a cooling liquid is passed in a conduit and in whichinstallations an increased pressure in the vapor space and partial orcomplete stopping of the cooling liquid flow is allowable.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I havedescribed the prin ciple of my invention, together with the apparatuswhich I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but Idesire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merelyillustrative and that the-invention may be carried out by other means.

. hat I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The combination with a surface condenserhaving a cooling water outletand a vapor space, of a valvein the cooling water outlet, a hot waterstorage tank, means actuated by the water level therein for controllingsaid valve, a conduit connection between the cooling water outlet andthe storage tank, a valve in said conduit connection, and meansconnected with the condenser vapor space and actuated by the pressuretherein for controlling said last named valve.

2. In a hot water storage apparatus comprising a condenser having acooling water outlet and a hot vapor space, the combination of a hotwater storage tank, a conduit providing a connection between the coolingwater outlet and the storage tank, a second conduit connecting thecooling water outlet with the atmosphere, a normally closed valve insaid first-named conduit, a pressure responsive means connected with thecondenser vapor space and said valve to open the latter in accordancewith increasing pressure valves in said vapor space above a certainpredetermined limit, a normally open. valve in the second-named conduitand a float controlled means responsive to changes in the water level inthe storage tank operatively connected with said last-named valve.

3. The combination with a surface condenser having a cooling wateroutlet and a vapor space, of a valve in the cooling water outlet, a hotwater storage tank, means actuated by the water level in said tank forcontrolling the valve, said means including a float in the tank, areversible motor operatively connected with the valve, a reversingswitch controlling the motor, and a stop controlled connection betweenthe float and the switch whereby the float controls the operation of thevalve, a conduit connection between the cooling water outlet and thestorage tank, a valve in said conduit connecticin and means including amovable -piston connected with the condenser vapor space and actuated bythe pressure in said controlling said lZlSt-Ilill'l'lQCl vapor space torvalve. U

The (ff')iikl ilf1il l011 with a surface conen'seehaving aco'oling wateroutlet and a vapor space ot a valve in the cooling water miil'ct areversilile electric motor operative- "foi' the motor. 2, "float-2n thetank responsive to changes 111 h connected'with said valve for openingand closing the same, a reversing switch hot water storage tank, a

Water level therein, means provided with adjustal'ile stops forconnecting the float with the switch'to actuate the latter, said switchbeing actiiated tl'ier'elo f to cause the motor to close the'valve whena certain predetern'iined lmver waterlevel is reached,and

'said switch being actuated thereby to cause the motor. to open thevalvewhen a certain predetermined higher water level ISTGRCllGCl,

a'con'duit connection between the cooling water outlet and the storagetank through "which coolingwater'tloivs when said'valve "is closed, asecondaalve in said condiut' and 'pressure responsive 'nieans connectedwitlrthe condenser vapor space 'operatively controllingsaidsecondaiarned valve.

5. A hot water storage apparatus comprising a conduit through which aliquid flows, a heated vapor space through which said conduit pas s, ahot water storage tank,

-a conducting pipe providing a connection the-valve whencertainpredetermined limits in'liquid level are reached, a certain lowerlevel effecting a closing of the valve and 'a certainl'iigher'level'effecting an openiiig er thevalve, anorinally closedvalve in the conducting pipe, and means respon'sive to pressure in thevapor space connected 'ivith saiclflast-11a1n.ed valve and operatingto'open the saine when 'a certain predetermined"pressure lill'lii isexceeded.

'In witness Whereot, I have hereunto set in'y liandthis3Istdayof()ctober 1923.

JOHANN"EDUARDTANNENBAUM

